System of machinery for printing in several colors.



No. 843,829. I PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

E. LAMBERT.

SYSTEM OF MACHINERY FOR PRINTING IN SEVERAL COLORS. -APPLIOATION FILEDFEB. 15, 1905.

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PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

E. LAMBERT. SYSTEM OF MACHINERY FOR PRINTING IN SEVERAL COLORS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15, 1906.

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BATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

E. LAMBERT- SYSTEM. 01 MACHINERY FOR PRINTING IN SEVERAL O0 LORS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15, 1905.

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PAT-ENTED FEB. 12 1907.

Y B. LAMBERT.. SYSTEM OF MACHINERY' POR PRINTING IN SEVERAL COLORS.

APPLICATION FILED FEBL15,-1905.

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No. 843,829. I PATENT-ED $1113.12, 1907.

E. LAMBERT.

SYSTEM OF MACHINERY PORPRINTING IN SEVERAL COLORS.

, APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15, 1905.

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No. 843,829. PATENTED FEB. 12,1901.

E. LAMBERT.

SYSTEM 01? MACHINERY FGB. PRINTING IN SEVERAL COLORS. APPLICATION FILEDFEB.15. 1905.

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UNTTFD STATES PATENT @FFTQE.

EDOUARD LAMBERT, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1907.

Application filed February 15 1905. Serial No. 245,746.

To a whom, it ntay concern:

Be it known that I, EDOUARD LAMBERT, a citizen of France, residing atParis, in the said Republic, have invented new and useful Improvementsin System of Machinery for Printing in Several Colors, (for which I haveobtainel a patent in France, No. 346,639, hearing date September 28,1904,) of'which the following is a specification.

My said invention relates to a multicolorprinting machine in wlLch isemployed a bed carrying a plurality of printing-forms arranged site byside and corresponding in number to the number of colors to be printedand a single-impression cylinder extending over and including as manyportions arranged in its length as there are forms on the ed, the sheetsbeing shifted lengthwise of the impression-cylinder to bring themsuccessively in line with the printing-forms.

The said improved machine insures, on the one hand, perfectly regulardistribution of proper colors to proper forms and, on the other hand,the shifting above specified in an exact and automatical manner.

The essential features of said improved machine consist in specialdisposition of the grippers on the impression-cylinder and in specialmode of actuating the said grippers; in special disposition of thetransporting device for the sheets, in order to move the said devicelengthwise of the impression-cylinder in a suitable manner; and inspecial disposition of the inking apparatus,in order to supportandadjust the rollers of these well-known devices an to put them side byside, this disposition being necessary in the machine in question,because there is not space enough to put the inking devices according tothe usual d sposition.

For convenience of illustration I have shown in the accompanyingdrawings a machine for printing in three colors, though it will bereadily understood that by merely duplicating or multiplying parts theprinting may be done in any number or colors.

In the drax ings, Figure 1 is a cross-section taken along line a b ofFig. 8 through impression-cylin er and transporting device. Fig. 2 is asimilar section taken along line (Z of Fig. 8 an showing partially thesystems for operating the gripper-bars on the trans porting device andthe said grippers themselves. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of thetransporting device, and Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are diagrammatic viewsshowing the same in its successive positions. Fig. 8 is a plan,partially broken away, showing a portion of the imp ressioncylinci erand of the trans orting device. Fig. 9 is an elevation showingdiagrammatically the complete device for op erating the gripper-b ars onthe trans orting device and the said grippers themselves and showingalso the device for distributing colors to the forms, and Fig. 10 is aplan showing a portion of the latter, partially broken away. Fig. 11 isa detail, partially diagrammatic, showing the manner of operating thegrippers which hold the sheets to the impressioncylind er.

The impression-cylinder 1 includes in its length as many portions asthere are colors to be printed, each portion being used for printing adetermined color. Two of said portions are shown in Fig. 8. Each portionis provided with grippers 2 2 of the kind usually employed inprinting-presses and which are opened and closed by means of suitabledevices. The bed carries fornts 98, 98, and 98", Figs. 8 and 10, whichare adapted to receive the colors from the above mentioned portions.

The grippers 2 2, Figs. 1, 2, and 8, are fixed on bars 65, respectively,independentone from another and oscillating in bearers, such as 66. Eachbar is acted by nteans of toothed sector 67, keyed on it, and engagedwith a corresponding sector 68, form ed at the one end of a leverpivoted on a stud 69. The other end 68 of the said lever bears afriction-roller 70, engaging freely in a fork 71, so that the spring 72can move lever and sector 68, and therefore close grippers of thecylinder 1. The said spring is secured at one end to the cylinder 1 andat the other end to part 68. There are as many forks 71 and spring '7 2as printingforirs, and all the forks are keyed on a longitudinal shaft73, on which is keyed a lever 74, hearing at its free end afriction-roller 75. This roller is acted by a cam 99, pivoted on theaxis 100. A cam 106 on the shaft 31 operates lever 103 105, pivoted onthe axis 104, which by the 11". cans of the connecting-rod 102 noves thelever 101, fixed the cam 99. Then lever I 103-105, connecting-rod 102,lever 1O1,ar 1d cam 99, are moved, cylinder-grippers 2 2 are opened.

Reciprocating motion is imparted to the bed, which drives theimpression-cylinder as it travels in a given direction, whereas the saidcylinder rests stopped as the bed comes backward.

The transporting device, including carriage 15 and the other partshereinafter described for carrying the sheets from one of theabove-mentioned portions to the next, may receive a reciprocating motionalong the cylinder 1that is to say, in a direction parallel with theaxis of the latter. The stroke of the said motion is exactly limited inthe manner already described in my United States Patent No. 695,816thatis to say, by means of engaging notches at each end of the said strokeduring a suflicient time, in order to permit either taking out from oneportion of the cylinder and transporting to the next portion the printedsheets or lying on the said next portion of the impression-cylinder thetransported sheets.

In the machine for printing in three colors the transporting deviceincludes two gripperbars, the grippers of the one taking out from thefirst portion of the impression-cylinder the sheet printed with thefirst color, in order to transport the said sheets to the portion ofsaid cylinder corresponding to the second color, while the grippers ofthe second bar take the sheet already printed with two colors, in orderto transport the same to the portion corresponding to the third color.The transport of the sheet is effected while the impression-cylinder isstopped, as in the well-known stop-cylinder printing-presses.

While the impression-cylinder is driven, the transporting device, freefrom sheets, comes back to its initial posit on, said motion beingimparted to it as follows: The bed is provided with a rack 60, Fig. 10,working a first toothed wheel 58, fixed on a second toothed wheel 58,both wheels being keyed on a shaft 78, and the wheel 58 gearing with apinion 4, Figs. 4, 7, on a shaft 4, Figs. 2, 3, and driving a pinion 7through gear 5 6. The pinion 7 coacts with a rack 8, attached at the oneof.,its extremities, the left extremity in the example shown, Fig. 8, toa sliding piece 9 and, on the other hand, to a sliding piece 8 (shown atthe right side of the Fig. 8) and movable in a groove 8". A toothedwheel 10, fast on a flanged wheel 10, Fig. .3, and borne at the end ofan oscillating lever 11, provided with a stud 12, is hinged on thesliding piece 9. The wheel 10 is itself provided with a stud 13, onwhich is linked a connecting-rod 14, acting the carriage 15 of thetransporting device. The wheel 10 runs on a bar 16, Figs. 1 and 8, andthe wheel 10 runs on a rack 16, fast on the frame of the machine and l15 bears a shaft 32.

whose length is exactly equal to the development of the pitch-circle ofthe wheel 10, and also to the desired stroke for the transportingdevice. Notched pieces 17 17, Fig. 8, are secured at each end of therack 16, in order to lock the stud 13 at exactly-determined points,whereby the wheel 10, pushed by sliding piece 9, turns upon the stud 13in such a manner that the stud 12 turns itself around the stud 13 ofangle a 0., Figs. 4 and 7, at each end of the stroke of the bed, whilethe carriage 15 is stopped during a space of time permitting thetransporting-device grippers to effect either taking out the sheets fromthe impression-cylinder or laying the sheets on the latter. The severalpositions of the transporting device are shown diagrammatically inaccompanying drawings, Figs. 4 to 7. During the strokes of thetransporting device the gripper-bars are cleared from theimpression-cylinder and its grippers, as follows: The carriage 15 isprovided with horizontal shafts 18 18, Figs. 2, 8, and 9, corresponding,respectively, to the gripper-bars on the transporting device, which aretwo in number in case of machinery for printing in three colors, thesaid bars, such as 21, being hinged on levers 20, keyed on the shafts,such as 18. On the shaft 18 is keyed a lever 19, at the end of which isborne a friction-roller 22, which rests against a suitable bar 23 duringthe whole stroke of the transporting device. The bar 23 is provided witha lever 24, pivoted on a shaft 25, in order to permit the bar 23 to actthe roller 22, and therefore the corresponding gripper-bars, such as 21.

The gripper-bars are respectively provided with correspondingfriction-rollers, in order to make the same completely independent onefrom another.

The bar 23 is operated by a crank 26, Figs. 2 and 9, and aconnecting-rod 27, acted by a pivoted lever 28, whose free end bears afriction-roller 29, resting against a suitable cam 30, keyed on a shaft31, accomplishing a complete revolution during a complete stroke of thebed.

Opening and closing the grippers, in order to effect laying on andtaking out the sheets with respect to the portions of theimpressioncylinder, is effected as follows: The carriage (Shown at theright side of the Fig. 8 and fixed on a projecting arm 32, Fig. 2, ofsaid carriage.) On the shaft 32-, Figs. 2 and 9, is pivoted a lever 33,hearing at its end a friction-roller 34, resting against a bar 35. Thelatter is operated in the same manner as the bar above specifiedthat isto say, through a crank 38, a connecting-rod 39, a pivoted lever 40, afriction-roller 41, and a cam 42, keyed on the shaft 31. One end of thelever 33 is linked on a connecting-rod 43, working a crank 44, keyed onthe transport- IIO ing-device gripper-bars, such as 21. For opening,grippers 45 are cleared from counter-grippers 46 under suitable actionof cam 42 on devices acting the driving-bar, such as 21, and, forclosing, the same devices are acted by a suitable Worm-spring 47 aroundthe shaft 18.

The gripper-bars are respectively provided with corresponding andabovespecified devices for opening and closing the grippers in order tomake the said bars completely independent one from another.

As stated in the preamble of the specification, it is necessary in thepresent machine to provide special disposition for supporting andadjusting the rollers of the well-known inking devices, said rollershaving for their purpose to distribute proper colors to proper forms.Said special disposition is shown in Figs. 9, 10 of the accompanyingdrawings. For each color are established sets of inkingrollers three,for instance, 51 52 53on which rest metallic cylinders 54 55. In such amachine it is, in fact, very dilficult to adjust inking-rollers on theforms and inking-cylinders, specially in the middle of the machine,owing to the fact that no space is free under the rollers for screws orother mechanism for adjusting the latter. In order to avoid thisinconvenience with the system forming the object of the presentinvention, each set of rollers 51 52 53, Fig. 9, is individuallyadjustable in height by raising or lowering their studs 81 82 in theirbearings 83 84 85, which are formed in pieces 90, supported by two bars91 92. he said adjustability is obtained by means of piece, 11111Cl1 as61, provided with wedges 86 87 88 and suitably op.- erated by screw 95,turning in a bar 96. Further, all the sets of inking-rollers may beraised all together by means of a control-lever 62, pivoted at 89 andacting a crank 93, fixed on a connecting-rod 94, linked on the bar 96. 1

he rollers 51 52 53 are inked in the usual and well-known manner, androtative motion is imparted to them by friction agairst cylinders 54 55,receiving a rotative motion by news of pinicns 56 57, Figs. 9 10,respec" ively, keyed on driving-shaft s 48 49 and worked by doublepiriorts 58 58 59 59, gearing n ith the re. ck 60 on the bed 50. Thesets of the cylinders 54 55 are respectively supported by correspondingsingle shaft 48 49, turning in the bearing-pic ces 76 77, wli ich arekeyed on corresponding shafts 78 79, and suit able to-and-fro notion isin" parted to the cylinders 54 55 in. the ordinary manner by ntears ofrings 58" 59, fixed on the eX- trenfi y of the sh:- it s 7( and 79. Themetallic cylinders can he re ised for inspect ion and cleaning byniea-ns of the bearing-pie ces 76 77 and of suit able hand-leversworking them.

The working of the whole machinery is as follows: The bed coming back tothe inkingrollers (direction indicated by the arrow 63) theirnpressiomcylinder 1 is stopped, the feeding-table 97 is lowered, and asheet to be printed being laid on the latter is taken out byimpression-cylinder grippers as the bed has reached the end of itsstroke, Fig. 9, while the gripper-bars corresponding to the shafts 18 18have been. respectively carried toward impression-cylinder portionsaffected, respectively, to the second and to the third color, Fig. 7.The bed traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow 64impressioncylinder is worked and the sheet above speci fied is printedwith the first color on the first form 98. The sliding piece 9 travel ngin the direction indicated by the arrow 64 the stud 13 falls into thenotch 17 a little before the end of this stroke, whereby thetransporting device is stopped. The gripper-bars corresponding to theshaft 18 are now-exactly in front of the iinpi'esion-cylinder portionwhich corresponds to the first color, while the shaft 18 is exactly infront of the impressioncylinder portion which corresponds to the secondcolor on the second form 98, Fig. 4. The wheel 10 runs then upon thestud 13, (angle a, Fig. 4,) while cams 42 and 30 actuate the gripper-bars and the grippers themselves, as hereinbefore described.Impression-cylinder 1 is then stopped, the counter grippers 46 come downon the bar 46, Fig. 2, fixed in the impression-c linder 1, and thegrippers 45 are closed on them. The impressi on-oxlinder grippers arethen opened and the transporting device gripper-bar is raised. Theprinted sheet is thus taken out from the first portion of theimpression-cylinder. The bed coming back again in the directionindicated by the arrow 63 and the sliding piece 9 in the directionindicated by the arrow 63, studs 13 and 12 are first carried in verticalline, Fig. 5, and the ca'riage 15 is moved, Fig. 6, carr'x'ing theshafts 18 and 18, respectively, in front of the second and third color.The stud. 13 falls then in the notch 17, cams 30 and 42 act thegripper-bars and the grippers themselves, wherebv the sheet printed withthe first color is laid on the impression-c linder portion correspondingto the second color,

(gripper 2,) the cylinder being first stopped, its grippers closed, andthen the transporting device grippers opened. During this operation thewheel 10 has run upon the stud 13, (angle a, Fig. 7.) The bed travelingagain in the direction indicated b the ar ow 64 and the sliding piece 9in the direction indicated by the arrow 64, the sheet is printed. withthe second color on the second form 98. Then the grippers correspondingto the shaft 18 take out from the impression-c'linder a new sheetprinted with the first two colors.

Therefore asthe transporting device comes again in the directionindicated by the arrow 63 the first sheet is carried to the third colorand the second sheet to the second-color, (grippers 2'.)

It will be easily seen that after three sheets laid on the feeding-table97 one sheet will 1 be printed on each iIDPIGSSlOIl-Q".'llllClClportion, and, lastly, when a sheet has been successively printed withthe three colors it is given up by the impression-c ,'linder grippers 2and received by suitable devices, lating the said sheet on thereceiving-table. ing of the whole machinery is then continued in anunint rrupted manner.

Having thus fully described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention, what I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An improved s 'stem of machinery for printing in several colors,including the combination with a single impression-e,linder having apluralitv of portions disposed side by side and provided respectivelywith sets of grippers, of a bed having a plurality of printing-formscorresponding respectively to the several portions of theimpression-c7'linder, of a transporting device having a reciprocat ingmotion in a direction parallel with the axis of the impression-c .'linder, and provided with a plurality of sets of grippers and countergrippers, of suitable means for imparting suitable reciprocating motionto the carriage carrging the said transporting device and for exactlylimiting the stroke of the motion of the transporting device proper, ofsuitable means for raising or lowering the bars on which are keyed thesets of grippers on the transporting device, and for closing or openingthe grippers themselves, and of suitable means for adjusting theinking-rollers with respect to the bed, and for raising or lowering theinking-cylinders as regards the inkingrollers, substantially described.

2. In an improved system of machinery for printing in several colors,including a single impression-cylinder having a plurality of portionsdisposed side by side and provided respectively with sets of grippers; abed having a plurality of printing-forms corresponding respectively tothe several portions of the impression-cylinder, a transporting devicehaving a reciprocating motion in a direction parallel with. the axis ofthe impression-riylinder, and provided with a plurality of sets ofgrippers and counter grippers; several sets of grippers on theimpression-cylinder, mounted on independent bars, each bar beingoperated by independent secorder to close the grippers, by a separatespring, and, in order to open the grippers, by a friction-roller on saidlever, each fllstlOIlw The workroller-being engaged free in a separatefork or cam, and all the forks or cams being keyed on the samelongitudinal shaft, the latter being operated by means of a lever,frictionroller and cam, so that this shaft turns all the cams or forksin order to open all the sets of grippers simultaneously, whereas aseparate spring closes each separate set of grippers.

3. In an improved system of machinery for printing in several colors,including the combination with a single impression-cylinder having aplurality of portions disposed side by side and respectively providedwith sets of grippers, of a bed having a plurality of printing-formscorresponding respectively to the several portions of theimpression-cylinder, of a transporting device having a reciprocatingmotion in a direction parallel with the axis of the impression-cylinderand provided with a plurality of sets of grippers and counter grippers;a sliding piece traveling in a direction parallel with axis of theimpression-cylinder under action of a toothed wheel gearing with a rackon the said sliding device, the said toothed wheel being driven by thebed through suitable transmission; a carriage bearing the transportingdevice gripper-bars, the said carriage being moved by a connectingrodlinked on a toothed wheel hinged on the sliding piece and the saidtoothed wheel running on a fixed. rack provided at its end with twonotches engaging a stud lying on the periphery of the said toothedwheel, in order to permit pivoting on the said stud during the end ofthe stroke of the sliding piece, while the carriage of the transportingdevice and the grippers of the latter are stopped exactly inlongitudinal position, the said system including further suitable meansfor raising or lowering the bars on which are keyed the sets of thegrippers on the transporting device, and for closing or opening thegrippers themselves, substantially as described.

4. In an improved system of machinery for printing in several colors,including the combination with a single impression-cylinder having aplurality of portions disposed side by side and respectively providedwith sets of gripperaof a bed having a plurality of printing-formscorresponding respectively to the several portions of the impressioncvlinder, of a transporting device having a reciprocating motion in adirection parallel with the axis of the impression-cylinder, andprovided with a plurality of sets of grippers and counter grippers, andof suitable means for adjusting the inking-rollers with respect to thebed and for raising or lowering the ink? tor-levers and each lever beingoperated, in

ing-cylind er with respect to the inking-rollers, the means consistingin establishing a frame receiving three or more sets of inking-r llers,the sets of the rollers lying in bearing adjust- IIO able separately, bymeans of a screw Working a bar provided with proper Wedges in order tomove the studs of the rollers in their bearings, the said rollers beingraised all together, by means of a control-lever Working all the barsprovided With Wedges; the frame above specified receiving two or moresets of metallic cylinders, each set being keyed on a single shaft andresting against the inking rollers in order to give motion to thelatter, the bearing-shafts of the metallic cylinders having a rotativeand a to-and-fro motion imparted to them and being hinged on a pivotedlever in order to be raised from or lowered on the inking-rollers;substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

EDOUARD LAMBERT. l/Vitnesses:

JULEs FAYOLLET, EUGENE PIOHON.

